Justin Bieber paternity accuser: What could her ‘credible evidence’ be?

By Sarah Anne HughesBy Sarah Anne HughesNovember 3, 2011

Justin Bieber. (Donald Traill/AP)

Lawyers for Mariah Yeater, the fan who claims she and Bieber conceived a child during bathroom-stall relations last year, told Radar there is “credible evidence that [the teen star] is in fact the father of her baby.” Said evidence will be revealed in court this December.

Bieber and his team have called her claims “malicious, defamatory, and demonstrably false,” which is about as firm as a denial can be.

So what could Yeater’s “credible evidence” be, if it indeed exists? Was the baby born with Bieber’s signature haircut? A Canadian accent? Celebritology asked two law professors for guidance.

“‘Credible evidence’ likely refers to ‘circumstantial evidence’ tending to show (or even establishing) that the putative or alleged father had sexual relations with the mother at a point in time close to the date of conception,” Catherine J. Ross, a George Washington University law professor, explained in an e-mail. “This only means that he would be a possible candidate for paternity, and could justify a court order to subject himself to DNA testing.”

Yeater’s complaint states, in rather confusing language, that she thinks Bieber is the only possible father: “Based upon this timing as well as the fact that there were no other possible men that I had sex with that could be the father of my baby, I believe that Justin Bieber is the father of my baby.”

So what could prove Bieber is the only possible father?

Suffolk University law professor Charles Kindregan says Yeater’s team could show that she had the opportunity to meet Bieber. Perhaps by proving that she went backstage at the Staples Center concert last October through security footage or a witness who saw her with the singer.

It’s clear that Yeater and Bieber’s team haven’t had any direct contact. The mother of the singer’s alleged child said in her complaint that she “tried to contact [Bieber’s] representatives but not one ever called me back.”

Ross explained that someone in Bieber’s position has a few options from a legal perspective. His legal team can deny the act occurred — as it already has via its released statement — prove Yeater had other partners during the same time period or can claim that Bieber shouldn’t be tested first, as it’s unfair to target a celebrity because of his money.

There also could be a settlement, which would probably include a confidentiality clause, according to Ross. Then the truth would never be known to the public, much to the chagrin of the Beliebers and the celebrity bloggers covering the story.